Overview
- Mikel Merino scored in the 88th minute to turn a 1-1 game into a 2-1 quarter-final win for Spain over Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday.
- Thibaut Courtois left the match with a thigh problem and his replacement, Senne Lammens, spilled a long-range Pau Cubarsí shot that Mikel Merino converted for the winner.
- Spain conceded its first goal of the tournament when Charles De Ketelaere headed home just before half-time, but the Roja recovered and have now relied on Merino for late knockout breakthroughs in successive rounds.
- The victory sets up a semi-final against France on Tuesday 14 July in Dallas, a match framed by recent competitive meetings between the nations and expected tactical intensity.
- Belgium’s tournament ended after a run that included a 4-1 win over the United States, leaving the squad celebrated at home but confronting immediate questions about goalkeeper depth and injury recovery.